Works by Erlina Ortiz:
LA EGOISTA
SILUETAS: A NEW MUSICAL
HONEY BEE BABY
YOUNG MONEY
MORIR SONYANDO
SHE WORE THOSE SHOES
LAS MUJERES
MINORITYLAND
Synopses:
La Egoista – (2W) La Egoista explores the story of Josefina, a rising stand up comic who takes nothing seriously, and her very religious sister Betsaida who is suddenly diagnosed with a chronic illness.This surreal one act follows Josefina through her comedic sets as they unfold in conjunction with the deterioration of her sister’s health. La Egoista uses comedy, puppets, magic, and memory to explore the cost of caregiving, the different ways we process grief, and how to find the right balance between selfless and selfish.
Siluetas: A New Musical – (2M, 3W, Ensemble of 3, 6, or 9) SILUETAS, a new musical, brings the stories of immigrants and refugees to the front. Conservative ex-house wife Dinora and activist-artist Khalilah move in together amidst a charged 2016 presidential campaign, the loosening of the Cuban embargo, and the escalation of the Syrian Civil War. Through their growing friendship, and a little guidance from the Ancestors, they learn about the importance of community, friendship, and forgiveness. With book and lyrics by Erlina Ortiz and music and lyrics by Robi Hager, SILUETAS captures the pain of displacement, the need for choice, and the uncertainty we all face when borders are more important than family.
Honey Bee Baby – (4W, Ensemble of 3-6) Melisa is a kind-hearted follower of rules. She desperately wants a child, if only she could pass the government mandated test that will allow her to do it. Young Clarisa knows nothing except the perfectly curated life her parents have carved for her in their fortified underground mansion. She too has a test to pass, if only she could focus, follow, listen; the way Mother wants her to. In the magical and disturbing Honey Bee Baby, the bees are gone, the resources are scarce, and every one must earn their place in this world where the lines between right and wrong are blurred with blood.
Young Money – (2W) Tomasina AKA Kila – T is Hip-hop / Traps newest chart topper. Gardenia cleans her dressing room. When an attack on Kila’s concert forces the two women together, questions of morality, success, and redemption are danced around in this edgy new comedy.
Morir Sonyando – (2W, 1M) Morir Sonyando is a play about family and the grace we must choose to bestow on one another every day to keep alive. Genesis, an academic working her way through an Ivy League education, is proud of the fact that she’s survived her family’s dysfunction, if only just barely. But when her estranged mother, Paloma, is released from prison after a decade of incarceration, Genesis is forced to confront her involvement in the imprisonment and the life from which she has done her best to escape.
She Wore Those Shoes – (3W, 1M, Ensemble 2-6) Inspired by the documentary The Invisible War, She Wore Those Shoes explores the prevailing issue of sexual assault within the United States military and the silence, stigma, and negligence that survivors often face. Protagonist, Yudy, a strong and confident young Latina woman, excitedly joins the armed forces in pursuit of the military pride and prowess that her respected older brother Abraham represents. Yudy’s high regard for her military “family,” however is deeply tarnished in the aftermath of trauma, as silence, disbelief, and betrayal ensue. Through memory, cadences, creative movement and unexpected humor, we follow Yudy’s journey as she navigates being a woman of color and veteran as well as something more than a victim of our pervasive rape culture.
Las Mujeres – (5-6W) Las Mujeres, is a journey through time as we meet the famous Latinas of herstory’s past. Marlene, a workaholic engineer who wouldn’t call herself a feminist, has just been the only woman at her firm promoted to a managerial position. After a devastating encounter, Marlene finds reality has faded away and her kitchen becomes… a party. The guests? Frida Kahlo, Rita Hayworth, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, and Minerva Mirabal. Don’t know them? You will. These remarkable women share their stories of art, and Revolucion! with the comfortable and complacent Marlene, but will she wake up?
MinorityLand – (3W, 3M) When the local University begins to buy houses in el barrio, the landscape of a diverse neighborhood starts to change. Block by block residents are pushed out of their homes, and the fabric of the community begins to come undone. Exploring what it means to be a ‘minority’ in modern day America, MinorityLand is not about who is right or who is wrong – it’s about who has the power.
Bio:
Erlina Ortiz is a Dominican-American playwright, performer, and theatre maker from Reading, PA. Her heartfelt and humorous plays ranging from topics of gentrification, women’s rights, and cultural preservation have been presented with Power Street Theatre where she is proud to be Co-Artistic Director. In 2018 her play Las Mujeres received The Bonaly Award for Creation of Community Joy and in 2019 her play Morir Sonyando was nominated for six Barrymore Awards including Outstanding New Play. Erlina has received the Amtrak Writer’s residency where she traveled across the United States in an Amtrak sleeper car, the Signal Fire Outpost Residency where she lived on the side of a mountain for a week, and in 2019 she gave the Keynote Address at the Delaware Writer’s Conference on the importance of nurturing your artistic community. In 2021 she began serving as secretary of the board for Theatre Philadelphia.
Erlina was a member of NEXUS with New York Stage and Film and is a two time recipient of the Leeway Art and Change Grant and the 2021 Leeway Transformation Award. In Fall 2021 she received her professional Philly premiere with Young Money at Azuka Theatre which went on to receive the ATCA/Steinberg New Play Award Citation. In 2022 her play La Egoista was selected for the LTC Comedy Carnaval in Denver going on to win the 2022 National Latine Playwriting Award and her new musical Siluetas was selected for the O’Neill National Musical Theatre Conference. She has taught playwriting with the University of the Arts, Power Street Theatre, and Blue Stoop phl. Erlina believes being an artist is a superpower, she believes in using her powers for good.
Website: www.erlinaortiz.com